Cats are one of humanity's oldest companions, and while they've been featured in a number of movies, television series, and books, it isn't often that they make their way into video games. That seems to be changing with games like Stray coming out, especially now that Etched Memories, a game that puts players in the role of a cat named Biscuit, is also making its debut.
A horror game about a cat named Biscuit is, of course, an odd elevator pitch. In development at From Scratch Studios, the first three trailers paint an interesting picture of what the game is setting out to do. Players wake up as Biscuit in the middle of a stormy night as they try to find their mother. There's a heavy emphasis on natural environments it seems, which is a bit of an odd situation for a cat.
A demo for the game is available now, and it's about as strange as one could reasonably expect. As the trailers indicate, it's pretty janky, though the environments are reasonable enough for what is seemingly a low-budget project. Coupled with the trailers, which features some ridiculous footage over some rough-around-the-edges gameplay, Etched Memories is a pretty huge question mark. However, maybe playing as a cat will be enough for people to see it through.
Gamers are currently seeing something of a resurgence of horror titles, and while not all of them have been winners, it's certainly a good time for the genre. With major titles like Resident Evil Village soon gracing screens, there's a lot to look forward to for those that enjoy working their way through tense experiences. Of course, that also means that the bar will be raised, assuming that the games coming out soon live up to expectations.
Of course, there's still space in the genre for small projects liked Etched Memories, as well as the other horror games trying to make a name for themselves out there. With breakout hits like the Outlast games showing how far smaller horror projects can go, the sky really seems like the limit. The real key to success is a killer feature to make a game stand out from the crowd, like playing as a cat.
Hopefully, 2021 is the amazing year for horror games that fans are looking for, but if not, at least there are interesting projects to spend time with outside of the usual big-budget titles.
Etched Memories is in development PC.
Source: PC Gamer